Paradeniz (literally "semi sea") is a
lagoon
A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...
along the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
shore in
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. It is part of a lagoon system composed of four lakes.
Geography
Paradeniz is in
Silifke
Silifke is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Mersin Province, Mersin Province, Turkey. Its area is 2,692 km2, and its population is 132,665 (2022). It is west of the city of Mersin, on the west end of the Çukurova plain.
...
district of
Mersin Province
Mersin Province (), formerly İçel Province (), is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast between Antalya Province, A ...
, Turkey. It is a formed within the
Göksu Delta
The Göksu Delta is the river delta at the confluence of the Göksu River with the Mediterranean Sea, in Mersin Province in southern Turkey. It is a 15,000 ha area of land that occupies coastal part of Silifke district. It is one of the largest ar ...
at . It is at the west of the river, south west of the town
Arkum, north of the cape İncekum and east of the town
Taşucu
Taşucu is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Silifke, Mersin Province, Turkey. Its population is 15,184 (2022). Before the 2013 reorganisation, it was a town (''belde''). It had obtained the status of ''belde'' after the local el ...
.
Location
East shore line of Paradeniz lies more or less parallel to Mediterranean Sea shore. The average distance to sea is less than . At the north east end there is a narrow channel to sea. The salinity is 19‰, which is less than that of Mediterranean Sea. The surface area of the lagoon is about and the average dept is
Ecology
Paradeniz together with the surrounding area is an important breeding and wintering area for the waterbirds. The number of bird species which were determined around Paradeniz is as high as 302
Ecology page
Paradeniz is also a fishery. By controlling the narrow channel to sea, fishes are trapped and harvested. The best known Paradeniz produce is blue crab (Callinectes sapidus
''Callinectes sapidus'' (from the Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek ,"beautiful" + , "swimmer", and Latin , "savory"), the blue crab, Atlantic blue crab, or, regionally, the Maryland blue crab, is a species of crab native to the waters of t ...
).
References
{{Mersin Province
Landforms of Mersin Province
Lakes of Turkey
Silifke District